Safety clothes wringer



Jan. 23, 1934.

w. L. KAUFFMAN, 2D SAFETY. CLOTHES WRINGER Filed June 19, 1930 336v E wl M bQ/ Av A TTORNE Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to clothes wringers. The principal object of this invention is to provide a wringer that is absolutely safe in operating.

inexpensive of manufacture, and eflicient.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wringer hung in a pivoted manner so that a pull or a push against the wringer will automatically release pressure exerted on the rolls of the wringer and disengage a drive shaft actuating one of the rolls of the wringer.

' In the ordinary construction of wringers safety devices have been attached thereto, those operating upon the plan of utilizing a lever or a latch to release or disengage the transmission actuating l5 rollers, etc. The danger comes in that an operator of a wringer might have both hands engaged and both hands caught in the wringer leaving no opportunity to actuate the safety devices common to wringers. Again the person operating the wringer may become confused due to the pain subjected to either hand that might be in the wringer or hair of the operator and thus momen and automatically disengage the pressure on the rolls and also disengage a transmission actuating 7 the movement of the rolls.

with the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. whereinz- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device with parts broken away.' Figure 2 is a partial top plan view of Fig. 1.

80 Figure 3 is across section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

By referring to the drawing it will be seen that the wringer frame consists of a lower member 1, end uprights 15, and a casing 12. The wringer 56' frame is pivotally connected to a bracket member 2 by means of pivot lugs 3 whioh pass through support members 4 of the wringer 1 and into the bracket member 2. Rolls 5 and 6 are mounted in bearings in these uprights 15. The wringer roll 5 is caused to revolve by means of a power shaft 7 which is empowered by means of standard gears within a gear casing 8. This gear casing 8 carries the bracket 2.

It will be seen that the roller 6 is caused to revolve by frictional contact with roller 5, or by frictional contact with articles being-put through the rollers 5 and 6. The roll 6 is held under tension by means of a spring 9 which may bead justed by means of an adjustment screw 10 by operating an operating member 11. It will be seen by referring to the drawing that the screw 10 is vertically adjustable relative to the casing 12 and relative movement is permitted between the screw 10, spring 9, and the upper wringer roll bearings. This adjustment screw 10 is cen- 15 trally located and functions with a casing 12. The outer ends of this casing 12 are provided with engaging pins 14. By referring to Figure 1 it will be'seen that there is provided vertical outer frame members 15 and each frame member 15 is provided with an angular slot 16 at its upper end.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the left turn portion of the angular slots 16 provides a latch seat for the engaging pins 14.

By referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the 85 casing 12 is provided with oppositely disposed projections 1'! which function with oppositely disposed shoulders 18 which are carried at the upper part of the bracket member 2. It will be seen that if the operator's fingers become en- 9 gaged between the rollers 5 and 6, the operator I will instinctively pull in an effort to disengage the fingers. One of the oppositely disposed projections 17 will swing against the -shoulder 18 and cause the casing 12 to be slid so that the engaging pins 14 will be carried free from the latch seat of the angular slot 16 and allowed to travel upwardly through the upper portion of the angular slots 18 thereby releasing pressure upon the rolls 8.

It will also be seen that the same action will take place no matter if the wringer is swung back or forward upon the pivot lugs 3. It will also be seen that the shaft '1 is joined ata point 19 by means of a plurality of parallel ridges and de- 10 pressions thereby forming a clutch medium. It will be seen that when the wringer 1 has been swung backw 'd or forward the shaft portion carried by the ger will be carried out of engagement with the empowered portion of the 110.

be released from and locked to the upper ends of uprights 15. Near the ends of casing 12 are provided transversely extending pins 14 for releasably engaging a holding means on the uprights. The upper portion of the slot in an upright is vertical and the lower part is horizontal, the horizontal portions of the slots extending in the same direction away from the vertical portions. Shaft 7 is formed of two aligned sections, one section being carried by the wringer frame and the other by the bracket. Point 19 is outside of the axis of pivot lugs 3 and is between the bracket 2 and the adjacent upright 15. The axis of the pivot lugs lies in the plane passing through the axis of the wringer rolls.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a wringer including a frame andhaving rolls mounted in said frame, vertically spaced support members formed on one end of said frame, a supporting bracket, pivot lugs passing through said support members and secured to said bracket, means for releasing tension upon the wringer rolls by moving the wringer backward or forward in an arc about the axis of said pivot lugs, the axis of said lugs lying in the plane passing through the axes of said rolls, a rotary shaft extending through said supporting bracket and into said frame for transmitting power to one of said rolls,

' said shaft being formed in two aligned sections each having a plurality of parallel ridges and depressions formed on the joined ends of said rotary shaft for the purpose of forming. a clutch, one of said sections being mounted in said supporting bracket and the other of said sections being mounted in said frame and said joined ends being between said frame and the axis of said pivot lugs whereby the sections of said rotary shaft may be disengaged by swinging said wringer backward or forward about the axis of said pivot lugs. 2. In a device of the class described, a wringer including a frame, and having rolls mounted in said frame, vertically spaced support members formed on one end of said frame, a supporting bracket, pivot lugs passing through said support members and secured to said bracket, a pair of oppositely disposed shoulders formed on said bracket, a casing member having an open'bottom and extending between the upper ends of the uprights of the wringer frame, engaging pins carried at outer ends of said casing member, a pair of oppositely disposed projections carried on the casing for engaging one or the other of said oppositely disposed shoulders carried on the bracket, angular slots formed in said uprights positioned so as to have a vertical and horizontal portion, the horizontal portions of the slots ex= tending in the same direction from the vertical portions in the uprights in order to form a latch seat for the reception of said engaging pins.

3. In a device of the class described; a wringer includinga frame and having rolls mounted in said frame, vertically spaced support members formed on one end of said frame, a supportingbracket, pivot lugs passing through said support members and secured to said bracket, a pair of oppositely disposed shoulders formed on said bracket, a casing member having an open bottom and extending between the upper ends of the uprights of the wringer frame, engaging pins carried at outer ends of said casing member, a pair of oppositely disposed projections carried on the casing for engaging one or the other. of said oppositely disposed shoulders carried on the bracket, angular slots formed in said uprights positioned so as to have a vertical and horizontal portion, the horizontal portions of the slots extending in the same direction from the vertical portions in the uprights in order to form a latch seat for the reception of said engaging pins, a rotary shaft extending through said supporting bracket and into said frame for transmitting power to one of said rolls, said shaft being formed in two aligned. sections each having-a plurality of parallel ridges and depressions formed on the joined ends of said rotary shaft for the purpose of forming a clutch, one of said sections being mounted in said supporting bracket and the other of said sections being mounted in said frame and said joined ends being between said frame andthe axis of said pivot lugs whereby the sections of said rotary shaft may be disengaged by swinging said wringer backward or forward about the axis of said pivot lugs.

WALTER L. KAUFIEMAN, II. 

